Wild winds, heat hit East County

Universetoday.com says, "If you could take the 50 closest stars within 17 light-years of the Earth, the Sun would be the 4th brightest star in absolute terms." This image of our the sun was taken late Tuesday from Del Mar.
— Gary Robbins

Universetoday.com says, "If you could take the 50 closest stars within 17 light-years of the Earth, the Sun would be the 4th brightest star in absolute terms." This image of our the sun was taken late Tuesday from Del Mar.
— Gary Robbins

The Santa Ana winds are exploding out of East County canyons for a second straight day, producing downslope warming that will push the temperature to 93 in San Diego -- higher than it has been since September 15, 2012, when the mercury hit 101.

The winds gusted to 97 mph early Wednesday at Sill Hill, an exposed point in the Cuyamaca Mountains. Gusts also have exceeded 50 mph and 60 mph in many other inland areas, and winds have reached the coast, where they're flipping back the lip of breaking waves.

Interstate 8 was closed to high-profile vehicles, such as big-rigs and RVs, through the mountains between Willows Road in Alpine and Imperial Highway in Imperial County.

Winds blew over three tractor-trailer rigs on Interstate 8 through the mountains, including one at Ribbonwood Road, one at Crestwood Road, and one in the Golden Acorn Casino parking lot, a Cal Fire spokesman said. He said one person was injured in one of the wrecks.

Also around the county trees were toppled, some blocking freeway ramps at I-8 and Buckman Springs Road, Interstate 5 at Genesee Avenue and another at Garnet Drive, and on Interstate 805 at Nobel Drive, according to the California Highway Patrol. SB I-5 on-ramp from Via De La Valle blocked due to a fallen tree.

More than 11,000 customers were without power in a number of East County communities following power outages attributed to windy weather conditions, according to the San Diego Gas & Electric website. Areas without power included Escondido, Rancho Penasquitos, Rancho Bernardo, Ramona, Dulzura, Potrero, Campo, Descanso, Cuyamaca, Pine Valley, Mount Laguna, Alpine, Palomar Mountain, and Buckman Springs.

The county is experiencing classic Santa Ana winds. The winds are blowing off the desert and squeezing through the canyons, which causes compression, leading the air to become warmer as it flows toward the sea. Tuesday's high in Ramona was 87, four degrees cooler than Lindbergh Field.

The National Weather Service says that winds will steadily blow 40-60 mph on Wednesday morning, with gusts close to 100 at Sill Hill, a peak in the Cuyamaca Mountains that is typically the windiest spot in the county. Eastern Interstate 8 will be a wind tunnel, especially in the Alpine area. Temperatures across inland valleys will range from the upper 80s to mid-90s, with similar readings at the coast. The relative humidity will drop below 15 percent in many areas. It fell to 3 percent Tuesday afternoon in Miramar.

Mark Moede, a weather service forecaster, says the agency isn't issuing a red flag fire weather warning because the brief storm that blew through East County last Friday night dropped enough water to significantly raise the moisture level of vegetation.

San Diego's Lindbergh Field reached 91 on Tuesday, breaking the record high of 87 degrees for April 29th. That record was set in 1996.

Karl Kelly took this photo on Monday in North County. Solspot.com says Wednesday's surf will be in the 3' to 4' range at the better breaks. The energy is mostly arriving from the south. Sea surface temperatures: 62-63 degrees.
Karl Kelly

Karl Kelly took this photo on Monday in North County. Solspot.com says Wednesday's surf will be in the 3' to 4' range at the better breaks. The energy is mostly arriving from the south. Sea surface temperatures: 62-63 degrees.